CTV News Chief Anchor and Senior Editor honoured for contributions to journalism and support of human rights, becoming Lisa LaFlamme O.C.
CTV News has congratulated Lisa LaFlamme on being named an Officer of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest honours and recognises national pre-eminence or international service or achievement.
The announcement, made by Governor General Julie Payette, recognises LaFlamme for her contributions to journalism and news broadcasting, as well as her support and promotion of human rights.
“On behalf of everyone at Bell Media, I’d like to congratulate Lisa LaFlamme on this tremendous honour,” said Randy Lennox, President, Bell Media. “Lisa is a true leader within our news division and the company as a whole, serving Canadians with professionalism and integrity while passionately working to help change lives through international humanitarian organizations.”
“Lisa is a trailblazer for women in Canadian news broadcasting, and has continually demonstrated excellence in her work while tirelessly advocating for democracy in journalism and human rights in Canada and abroad,” said Wendy Freeman, President, CTV News. “We are thrilled to see Lisa recognized for her outstanding achievements and contributions to journalism.”
As Chief News Anchor and Senior Editor of CTV National News with Lisa LaFlamme since 2011, LaFlamme leads the country’s most-watched newscast and has cemented her role as the face of news in Canada while reporting on the most compelling and significant stories of our time.
As part of her passion for democracy in journalism, LaFlamme volunteers for Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) and has travelled with the organization to the Democratic Republic of Congo to mentor and train young journalists in Goma, in the heart of the conflict zone. LaFlamme has also championed a program with CTV News to identify eligible and deserving staff journalists to participate in JHR missions around the world, and serves as honorary co-chair of the annual JHR Night for Rights event.
LaFlamme is also an ambassador of PLAN International, travelling to remote areas to promote child rights and to end poverty around the world, and volunteers with Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, which works to advance education and educational opportunities for Afghan women and their families. Since covering the terror attacks of 9/11, LaFlamme has reported extensively on the Canadian mission in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the humanitarian crisis facing the Afghan people.
Never far from the heart of the story, LaFlamme brings Canadians an up-close look at the biggest stories unfolding across Canada and around the world. She’s known for landing exclusive interviews with leading global figures, including every Canadian Prime Minister since Brian Mulroney; sitting down to discuss international aid with Bill Gates at his headquarters in Seattle and at New York’s United Nations General Assembly; an in-depth conversation with Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai; an exclusive interview with former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on maternal and child health; leading CTV National News to Jerusalem for an exclusive interview with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; and to Shenzhen, China to sit down with Ren Zhengfei, reclusive founder of Huawei. Among her long list of primetime broadcast specials was a visit to Prince Harry at his home in London’s Kensington Palace.
LaFlamme has covered the world’s most significant moments internationally and domestically over her 30 years with CTV. From Canadian Federal Elections to U.S. presidential inaugurations; the death of Fidel Castro from Havana; and the aftermath of the coordinated terrorist attacks across Paris in November 2015, to name just a few. Prior to assuming the anchor chair in 2011, LaFlamme spent more than a decade on the road as CTV News’ National Affairs Correspondent, travelling to some of the world’s most dangerous locations to cover everything from wars to elections to natural disasters.
A graduate of the University of Ottawa, LaFlamme began her broadcasting career in 1989 at CTV Kitchener (then named CKCO) in her hometown of Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont. In addition to multiple awards for broadcasting and journalism over her career, she has received an honorary doctorate from her alma mater University of Ottawa, an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont. and the University of Windsor. She is the recipient of the Order of Ontario and was awarded the Distinguished Canadian Award from the University of Ottawa.